Overview

We work with the parasite causing the severest form of human malaria, the protozoan Plasmodium falciparum. The development of Plasmodium parasites inside of human red blood cells is responsible for the symptoms of malaria in infected people.

In this life cycle phase the parasite enters a red blood cell, where it grows and multiplies until it fills out most of the host cell. Thereafter the host cell ruptures, releasing up to 32 new invasive parasites that enter new red blood cells to continue the cycle.

The interaction of the parasite with its host cell is our key interest. Plasmodium parasites modify the red blood cell to generate an optimal niche for growth and at the same time ingest most of the host cell cytosol. We visualise these processes in live parasites using microscopy techniques including 3D imaging over time and use a range of molecular and cellular biology techniques to identify the parasite's molecular toolbox involved.

With our work we hope to provide a better understanding of processes central to malaria biology and to identify aspects not found in human biology that may therefore be suitable drug targets.

Research Projects

Export of PEXEL negative exported proteins (PNEPs)

Many of the proteins known to be exported into the host cell harbour a short amino acid sequence termed the PEXEL motif that is necessary for export. However, some known exported proteins lack this sequence, so called PEXEL negative exported proteins (PNEPs). We are interested in elucidating how PNEPs are exported and how their export compares to PEXEL proteins.

Knowledge on malaria blood stage biology is almost entirely based on static assays. We use life cell imaging in transgenic parasites expressing marker proteins to study protein export and other dynamic processes in the interaction of the parasite with its host cell.

Export of PEXEL negative exported proteins (PNEPs)

Many of the proteins known to be exported into the host cell harbour a short amino acid sequence termed the PEXEL motif that is necessary for export. However, some known exported proteins lack this sequence, so called PEXEL negative exported proteins (PNEPs). We are interested in elucidating how PNEPs are exported and how their export compares to PEXEL proteins.

Identification and characterisation of novel PNEPs

At present there is no simple feature common to all PNEPs that would allow us to predict them from the genomes of malaria parasites. We therefore use different approaches to identify new PNEPs. These new PNEPs are being functionally characterised to assess their role in the interaction of the parasite with the host cell. We also use these new PNEPs to try to find possible common features that could help to comprehensively predict these proteins in the future

Regulation and function of early transcribed membrane proteins (ETRAMPs)

Early transcribed membrane proteins are a protein family located in the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM), the interface membrane between parasite and host cell. The properties of the PVM and of ETRAMPs, an abundant component of this membrane, are poorly understood. We study the PVM, the role of ETRAMPs therein and how ETRAMPs are regulated.